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Reculver is a small seaside farmstead and summer resort situated about 3 miles east of Herne Bay along the North Kent coast and is popular with visitors. Its main features are the ruins of a Roman Fort and a country park which houses an interpretation centre run by the Kent Wildlife Trust.
Ruins of a 14th century church on the edge of a cliff form a backdrop to the wide Thames-side marshes and hide the intriguing remains of a Roman fort. Originally 'Reculbium', which guarded the North end of the then broad waters of Wantsum Channel it guarded the river that once separated the Isle of Thanet from the rest of Kent, along which passed Roman galleys.
During the latter years of the Roman occupation the Saxon Shore way was defended by a series of similar fortifications, built along the south-east coast and intended to deter Saxon raiders from Europe. It was the Roman admiral and commander Carusius in AD 287, who discarding his Roman allegiance declared himself Emperor of Britain, and at once begun the construction of these forts at Reculver, stretching from Norfolk, to Hampshire. (GW Meates: Kentish Yesterdays Vol. 1, 1980).
A visitor centre within Reculver Country Park, just west of Reculver Towers, highlights the significant archaeological, historical, geological and wildlife conservation value of the area. The cliffs between Reculver and Herne Bay are composed of soft sand and clays originally laid down in the shallow seas about 60 million years ago. The cliffs are up to 30 metres in height.
An early Saxon church was constructed on the site of the abandoned Roman fort in 699 when Egbert, King of Kent, granted land for the foundation of a monastery. The Saxon Minster later became St. Mary's Church of Reculver, and the towers were added in the 12th century.
A legend persists whereby it is reported there is often heard the sound of a crying baby in the grounds of the fort and Church ruins. The Kent Archaeology Society excavations conducted in the 1960s within the fort revealed several infant skeletons buried under the walls of a Roman barrack block which is estimated to have been built approximately between 200-250 AD.
Another more enduring legend concerns the Church itself, the towers of the Church are locally called "the Twin Sisters" and at one time each had a spire on top of the towers that were finally removed sometime around 1880. The Saxon church itself has existed on the site in varying forms since 669 AD, (when a Benedictine Abbey was destroyed by Vikings), but was demolished in 1809.
The twin towers of St. Mary's Church are a well known landmark by sea and land along this stretch of the North Kent marshes between Herne Bay and Margate and were left as a navigational aid for shipping, bought and maintained by Trinity House. Today the struggle to protect the Towers from the sea continues and new sea defences were built in the 1990's.
Some time in the distant past there were two sisters, one of whom was the Abbess of Faversham. One of these sisters became ill but after her recovered, they both thought fit to visit the shrine of St. Mary, Bradstowe (Broadstairs) to give their thanks. Sailing from Faversham, when off Reculver they became shipwrecked in a storm. Both were saved but one of the two died as the results of exposure. The remaining sister then added two spires to the existing towers and they were thereafter known as the "twin sisters".
The coastline was being rapidly eroded at this point and the churchyard, to the North of the Church has long since been lost to the sea, together with a large proportion of the remains of the Roman fort. 'Although, the old Church has not been used for many years now, genealogists researching families in this area should not overlook this Church and it's newer counterpart that stands about a mile inland'.
The Reculver coast line is where Barnes Wallace was able to test the `bouncing bomb' used during the Second World War and is often cited for its connection with the "Dambuster" 617 Squadron. It was in the shadow of the Twin Sisters that prototypes of Barnes Wallace's famous 'bouncing bombs' were secretly tested, which were so to be used successfully in the 'Dambusters' raids. The final versions of these bombs were dropped on the Ruhr Dams on 17 May 1943, by a team of Lancaster bombers led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson (later awarded the VC).
June 6, 1997 It was announced on the BBC World News that four of the prototype "bouncing bombs" had been discovered washed up and sitting in the mud offshore. Fortunately as prototypes they contained no explosive material. Four of these "bombs", each weighing approximately four tons were thereafter subject to an attempted salvage, the result of which is not recorded here. A prototype is displayed in the Herne Bay Museum & Gallery.
A 60th anniversary fly-over of Reculver took place on 17 May 2003, when a Lancaster was joined by a Spitfire, a Hurricane, and a modern Tornado GR4 jet to commemorate the tests.
From the Herne Bay Press Saturday 10th November 1945: WORLD AIR SPEED RECORD BROKEN OVER HERNE BAY COURSE.
"Jet-propelled Planes Flash by at over 606 m.p.h. Flying his jet-propelled Meteor aeroplane "Britannia" over the Herne Bay course on Wednesday, Group captain H. J. Wilson set up a world record air speed of 606.25 miles per hour, all the conditions of the world record being fulfilled. The previous record had been made in Germany in 1939 at 469 m.p.h."
"In the Macari cafe on the corner of William Street and Central parade (on the sea front) you can see the bronze plaques that were erected to mark the air speed course . One was on the cliffs behind the Miramar Hotel that marked the Western end, and one by the Reculver Towers that marked the Eastern end of the course. The plaques are now on the wall amongst photographs of old Herne Bay in the Macari's cafe. They had to be removed from their original sites because of erosion of the cliffs by the North Sea".
Reculver Country Park is situated 3 miles east of Herne Bay. Follow the signposting from the Thanet Way - look for the twin dark Towers on the skyline to the left from London, or right from the coast.
Kent Wildlife Trust offers information on events and activities at Reculver, contact the Information Centre on 01227 740676 (during opening hours only) or John Wilson on 0780 856 8821.
The small section of coast used in this Virtual Fieldwork Unit stretches from Herne Bay in the west of the county to the Wantsum Channel in the east.
The majority of the area studied lies within the Reculver Country Park, a small area of protected countryside. Due to the natural rates of erosion which are high a lot of work has been done to try and manage this section of coast with varying degrees of success. The coast at Reculver is eroding approximately 1 to 2 metres a year. When the Romans built the fort the sea was 2km away. The shingle beach has timber groynes giving way to sandy mudflats at low tide.
This Virtual Fieldwork Unit allows you to 'walk' around the area either as a casual visitor or as a student learning the Geography of the area.
You can:
look at digital photos of the coastal landforms and coastal defences.
look at notes relating to each photo.
call-up extra notes about particular processes and landforms.
try a short test or wordsearch based on what you have learnt in this unit.
You can at any time back-track or repeat sections of information to follow-up items of interest or reinforce what you have learnt.
Wildlife:
Annually many thousands of birds visit Reculver during there migrations back and forth from the arctic. In winter Brent Geese and wading birds such as Turnstone may be seen, whilst during the summer months Sand Martins nest in the cliffs. The grasslands on the cliff top are amongst the few remaining wallflower meadows left, and home to butterflies and Skylarks.
Millennium Cross:
"The stone cross at the entrance to the car park was commissioned by Canterbury City Council with assistance from the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral to commemorate two thousand years of Christianity. The cross was carved from Portland Stone by the cathedral stone masons. The design is based on the original Reculver Cross, fragments of which survive in Canterbury Cathedral".
Directions for those with transport: leave the Thanet Way (East) (A299) signposted to Reculver, then follow Brook Lane until you meet Reculver Lane. Turn right and follow this narrow road all the way, to the free car park, where some shops and amenities may be found, and for those without transport a pub may be found on the sea front (The King Ethelbert Inn). A Stagecoach Bus from Canterbury via Herne Bay to Reculver gives access to those without transport.
"The King Ethelbert Inn Is a traditional English Pub providing a warm welcome with fine food, beer and coffee. There is an outside seating area and children's' playground".
Then there's a selection of places to sit or walk along the beach which is ideal for pre-booked school visits; beach studies a speciality. If you walk up the hill towards the fort you'll be able to choose between beach and grass picnic areas.